Nothing's changed
by Blitz470
Summary: Sequel to Things change. Or not...
1. Undying love

**Right I understand many will have been confused about the ending of 'Things change', but it will be explained later on in the story if you don't follow. If you have not seen the story and you have just come across this then I recommend that you read 'Things change' as you may be a bit confused as to what is going on. Anyway please enjoy.**

The sleeping figure gracing the bed stirred as the warm morning Sun shone through the window. The graceful delicate body slowly moved around until it sat up. Then covers slid off the soft body of the young girl as she emitted a soft yawn. The girl stretched her arms out as she yawned. The orange haired girl looked over to the empty space next to her and let out a sad sigh. The teenager rubbed her bloodshot eyes and slid out of bed. The girl moved over to her wardrobe and pulled the doors open. As she scanned the clothing on her hangers she shrugged her shoulders and chose the same clothing she always did.

The sad girl removed the clothing that had held her tight and kept her warm and let them hit the floor. She then reached for her usual yellow shirt and shorts. The girl put on her yellow top and slid on her tight blue shorts. She then reached for the straps attached to her shorts and did them up. The girl walked over to her and stared at her reflection she eyed her orange hair done into a side ponytail. She looked at her beautiful figure and good stature.

Her eyes were then drawn to her bloodshot eyes once again caused by the lack of her lover.

Misty sighed and walked out of her bedroom. The girl walked along the corridor alone with no hand to be accompanied with her own. Misty kept walking to her kitchen where she was greeted with the usual over-zealous behaviour. The girl saw the same thing she always did. Smiles that were there to make her happy. They did not. A hand reached out with a cup of warm coffee for the orange haired girl to have.

She sat down and pulled her coffee to her lips and softly sipped it. Her sisters sat in an uncomfortable silence as once again their youngest sister did not talk to them. Lily looked over to her sister Violet and exchanged looks of sympathy. Daisy nervously watched her usually bubbly sister just sit there. Ever since the little sparrow's heart was taken away it could no longer sing. The girl placed her cup down on the table and left her sisters in silence. The girl kept on walking until she reached her bedroom and opened the door.

Misty fell back onto her bed and let out a sigh. She stared at the ceiling above her. She noticed that she hadn't done that in a long time. The sense of longing was beginning to overwhelm her as it did every day. The girl stood to her feet and went to change into her one piece barthing suit so she could go off into the pool in the gym. As she entered the area she saw various water Pokemon dancing and swimming in the pool with glee. She envied their happiness, but she was happy that some people were ok.

A little Poliwag that had been bouncing around the pool jumped over the Misty and into her hands. Misty smiled sincerely at the little tadpole Pokemon gave it a soft kiss on the forehead before letting it jump back into the water to play with the other Pokemon. Misty figured that the gym would be too busy a place to meditate on her thoughts so she chose the lake outside instead to rest.

* * *

The orange haired girl made her way to the Cerulean Lake near the gym. She hoped that today she wouldn't have to bump into any litter that people may have thrown in. Misty stood on the ridge and gracefully dived into the waters below her. Misty then rose to the surface to breath and softly swam around the lake. Misty chose to use the backstroke technique knowing it's the most relaxing move. Misty let out a soft sigh as she swam backwards

As she swam backwards she felt her body bump into something. Misty let out a sigh of annoyance knowing that once again someone had felt the need to dump rubbish into the lake. As she turned her body to get a better look at it she saw it was not rubbish but rather an upturned body. Misty let out an ear piercing scream and swam as fast as she could to the ledge of the lake. Misty pulled herself out of the water and rolled onto her back letting out gasps of exhaustion.

The terrified girl lied down on the ground for a while trying to regain her composure. After gaining her breath back she stood to her feet and turned to get the police, yet there was something holding her back. She felt something telling her to go to the body and against every other part of her telling her to run, she went over to the body. Misty carefully swam over to the body and turned it over. Misty could not get a good look at the face as it was soaked in dry blood and dirt.

She saw the body was naked aside from some shorts, but from what she could see about the body was not good. The body looked weak and drained of life. Just looking at the greyed frail body made her feel so sympathetic. She took hold of the body and dragged it along the water over to the edge of the lake. She pulled as hard as she could until the person was out. She laid the person on their back and pressed their chest fifteen times and then breathing into their mouth.

Misty did not mind about giving cpr to the bloodied dirty face as something was spurring her onto doing it. Something made her want to do it. She kept doing this until the body spat out water that had been clogging its lungs. Misty waited for the boy's eyes to flutter open, but nothing happened. She had almost given up hope until she heard a faint breathing and the sight of the unconscious boy's chest rising and falling. She let out a sigh of relief and carried the body over to the Cerulean Gym.

She remembered her sisters would be in so she went round to her bedroom and luckily the window was open. She then widened the window and pushed the boy into her room and climbed in after him. Misty the grabbed the boy and carried him into her bathroom and laid him into the bath tub, then without embarrassment, removed the shorts leaving the body naked. The girl turned the taps to released hot water while pouring the some bath soap into the tub

She picked up a sponge and dipped it into the bath. Misty then wiped the sponge across the torso of the boy. The warm water dripped down the grey chest and cleaned off the dirt and dry blood. She then washed the rest of the mess on the boy's body before grabbing a bottle of shampoo and mixing it with water to wash the boy's mattered hair. When Misty was satisfied with her' make over' she let the water rush out and pulled the boy out of the bath and dried him off.

Misty carried the body over to her bed and laid him softly down. She then went over to her wardrobe and took out a spare pair of men's boxers that she had. As she walked over to the boy she pulled them on to his body and noticed they were a perfect fit. The boy's eyes weakly opened to see his surroundings Misty then looked harder at the frail face before her and started to wonder. She saw that she had forgotten to clean his face and went off to get the wet sponge. She came back quickly and slowly wiped the sponge across the boy's face removing the grime.

"Misty" the boy muttered.

Misty then dropped the sponge in shock and let out a gasp of surprise. Almost immediately the girl's eyes well up and she threw her arms around the boy's neck and kissed his hungrily. The pressed her weight onto the boy and held him close. Misty pressed her tongue lovingly against Ash's lips. She waited for the lips to open, but not sensing that was going to happen she pushed her tongue in. 'Shy as always Ash' thought Misty. As Misty was getting into the make out session that she had longed for she felt something was not quite right. Ash had not even put his arms around her. She looked into his eyes and pulled away.

"Ash are you ok?" Misty asked concerned.

"M-Misty" Ash muttered again.

"Yes that's my name" said Misty smiling "But what is wrong Ash?"

Ash just looked down at his hands blankly and looked at Misty again and merely repeated her name. Misty could see that there was so much he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't. Misty wrapped her arms around Ash and gave him soothing words.

_

* * *

_

2 years ago

_Misty opened the door to the gym to see Ash standing next a man in a black robe. The man next to Ash had spiky fiery hair and odd markings on his cheeks. Misty had come out to see what was taking Ash so long to take out the rubbish. Misty just looked at the spectacle before her with confusion. As she was wondering about the situation Brock, Dawn and Misty's sister came out to find Misty. They too saw the odd sight._

"_Ash is that guy with who I think he is with?" Misty asked hesitantly._

"_Sorry Misty, but I'm going to join Team Rocket. I suggest you find yourself another boyfriend" Ash said bluntly._

_As Ash spoke those words a large verti-bird hovered over the two new members of Team Rocket it lowered and opened its hatch door to allow the two recruits to enter the plane. And __like that it took off with Misty's heart. The orange haired girl fell to the ground weakly and sobbed._

* * *

"I don't care what you did Ash. I will always love you no matter what and that's all that matters" Misty whispered to Ash.

The frail boy looked pathetically up at Misty and just stared at her. Misty returned the stare with a warm smile and then kissed his lips softly. Misty froze when she heard the door open. She slowly pulled her lips away from Ash's to see the face of her shocked sister Lily. The girl looked in confused at why her sister was kissing a frail greyed boy. Then as she looked harder she began to piece it all together.

"Oh my goodness! Ash?" Lily asked.

"Yes it is ok. Please keep your voice down. I can't let anyone else know about this" Misty said trying to calm Lily down.

"I'm sorry Misty, but Ash is wanted by the police. I have to tell the authorities, besides he betrayed us and he betrayed you" Lily said.

Misty looked down at Ash who was rested in her lap. The weak boy was looking up at Misty hopelessly. Misty felt an urge to protect her lover, even if it meant breaking up her family she would do it. Just for him. For once being the forgotten sister was going to come in handy.

"If you tell them about Ash I'll tell Daisy about you having sex with Tracy behind her back" Misty said darkly.

Lily was about to leave the room when she froze at what Misty had just said to her. 'How did she? No she couldn't have known. She's bluffing' thought Lily confidently. She turned to face her orange haired sister and stood strong.

"Oh really and if I did how would you know about that if it did happen then?" Lily asked triumphantly.

"Maybe it's because I'm the sister that everyone forgets about. And maybe that's why when you called out to see if Violet or Daisy were home, but not me. Then you went about seducing Tracy and then having loud sex with him which I have scarred into my head. 'Oh Tracy, do that again harder oh yes!'" mimicked Misty

"Like Daisy would believe you anyway" Lily retorted.

"Yeah because this really sounds like the kind of thing I would make up" Misty snapped back.

Lily had been backed into an uncomfortable position. She could either tell the police like she should and then be killed by Daisy or she could keep it secret and get in trouble afterwards. 'Wait I could pretend I knew nothing about it. Oh but then Misty would tell on me if I didn't support her. Wait a minute.' Lily thought as the gears turned in her little head 'Maybe no one needs to find out Ash is here after all' thought Lily cunningly.

"Alright fine you keep that a secret and I'll help keep this a secret by not letting our sisters near your room without a warning first" Lily said smiling.

"Thanks" said Misty giving Lily a warm smile.

Lily then turned around and left the room careful to close the door behind her. Misty then looked down at the fragile boy resting on her lap. Unsurprisingly, with Ash's current fragile state, he had gone to sleep. Misty smiled at him and carefully laid the boy on the bed and rested his head onto a pillow. Misty then climbed into bed with Ash and pulled the covers up to them. The orange haired girl snuggled up to her lover and held him tightly. She let out a soft yawn and drifted off.

* * *

After having the best sleep she had had in a while Misty opened her eyelids to be met by a sleeping figure in front of her. Misty was happy that Ash was still with her, in bed and safe in the walls of her bedroom. Misty felt Ash start to stir as he woke up. The boy weakly opened his eyes and spoke the same word he always did.

"M-Misty" he muttered.

Misty sighed and kissed Ash tenderly on the forehead. 'I guess we should check out the old rocket base for answers of Ash's condition' thought Misty. The orange haired girl reluctantly climbed out of bed and put her clothes on. She went over to the wardrobe and saw the clothes Ash had unpacked before he left for Team Rocket. This was one of the reasons Misty clung onto that Ash didn't betray her. 'Why would he unpack and leave all his clothes here only to leave us for Team Rocket?' thought Misty.

She took out some clothes and realised that she would have to clothe Ash for him as he appeared to have no understanding of the particular concept. Ash seemed to be uncomfortable during the process which Misty found depressing considering their relationship together. 'Does he remember me? No he must he knows my name after all' Misty thought confidently.

After changing Ash into more suitable outdoor clothes, she then led Ash out hand in hand from her room into the pool area. As they were entering Misty saw her sisters enter the room, but thankfully Lily expertly convinced them to go and see her jewellery in her bedroom. Misty walked over to her Pokemon and some of the new ones Ash gave her to look after, after Meyd died Misty chose six Pokemon that she might need along with six Pokemon for Ash if he could use them that is.

Misty led Ash carefully out of the gym and she hurried them over to the cave linking Pewter city and Cerulean City. She then led Ash out of the sight of the public so as to not arose suspicion. They then made their way through Viridian forest and finally to Viridian City Misty stood outside the gym that had yet to find a replacement gym leader. She noted that fact from the vacant sign hanging on the door. Misty nervously opened the door and found nothing but darkness.

"Wait if no one is running the gym then why is the door unlocked then?" she asked herself.

The answer came in the sound of a monotone voice.

"Simple, because I opened it".

**

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**

Right sooo sorry for the delay, but I've started university and freshers and first week of lectures

** and that ****took up most of my time so I'll try to update**** the story**** as soon as possible. Please****rate and review****.**


	2. An invitation

**Right sorry, but university will take a chunk of my time. It's not like secondary school where I have tons of free time on my hands. Anyway… please enjoy. Oh and thanks to ****Pokemaster101, xXkaoruXx and TheFanatics for their reviews.**

* * *

Misty turned to see a young man in a black robe. The man had long blue hair that spiked at the ends, but they just hanged over his head as if they had no life of their own. In short the man looked very depressed. One could even attach the term 'emo' to him if they wanted to. The man displayed little emotion on his face as he just looked at the orange haired girl. It wasn't until he glanced over at Ash that he smirked. He then looked back at Misty with an apathetic look.

"Who are you? Let me guess you're with Team Rocket aren't you?" Misty questioned.

"I am. My name is Ienzo, but that is not important. I'm guessing you have come about Ash's condition" the man spoke in a monotone.

"Yes what did you do my Ash?" Misty said angrily.

Ienzo stared at Misty with interest before responding to her question. "Odd how you care for him even after he betrayed you. Ash was more useful to us in this state. We used aura to extract his memories, thus leaving him in this state. We stole his memories of his social skills, his friends, his family, his Pokemon, himself and of course you. By removing his memories we stole his aura with it as those who he cares about and who care about him gave him his strong aura."

"Why did it take so long and why does he only remember my name?" Misty asked again.

The process was quick as the only thing he really could to hold on was your name which he focused a lot of his aura into it, so we just stole the others quickly. Well two years is quick for this process. Then we dumped the shell in a nearby lake which happened to be Cerulean Lake." Ienzo explained.

Misty looked horrified at what had just been explained to her. She looked over to Ash who was lying weakly on the floor. The process of standing up had been too much for his body to attempt so he had to lie on the ground from fatigue. Misty bent down and softly stroked his hair. 'I still love you' Misty thought. She heard the sound of footsteps and turned to the sight of Ienzo approaching her. The man held out a card with a map on it.

"If you want Ash's memories back come to our tower" the man said.

He gave the card to Misty who took it off him. The area around the man became darker as the light faded until she could not see him. The light grew back to reveal the man had gone. 'Figures' thought Misty. It was as if everything was happening again. Team Rocket was back, with a new base and new members. But Misty was sure she had not heard of any Team Rocket bases being created in the area.

She looked at the map and tried to figure out what location it was indicating. She noticed it did not look like Kanto, but she could not figure out of the three other areas it could be. 'Brock could tell us in an instant, but I can't afford to let him find out about Ash' thought Misty to herself. She trusted Brock, but she couldn't afford to let him find out about Ash if his reaction was the same as her sister Lily.

Misty put the card away and walked over to her lover. She slowly pulled Ash to his feet and softly shook him to awaken him. Misty sighed when he failed to awake. Misty moved his weight onto her shoulder. She then supported his body and carried him out of the Gym. The orange haired girl looked out of the door just to make sure that there was no one outside. Satisfied with the result she carried Ash out of the gym and back to Cerulean city.

* * *

Misty walked over to her bedroom and saw that her bedroom window that she had left open had been closed. 'Damn Violet or Daisy must have closed it' Misty mentally cursed. As she nervously opened the gym door she called out for her sisters. It wasn't until hearing no response that she realised that the bedroom window was shut, because they had gone out. Misty moved Ash's body from the entrance to her bedroom as she did she took special care not to pass Ash's Pokemon in case they cause a commotion.

She let Ash rest softly on the bed and laid his head upon the pillow. Misty took the card out of her shorts pocket and placed it on the table. For the life of her she could not figure out the location of the base. After thinking for a while she realised she could just go down to a Pokemart and buy a map of all the different regions. Misty regretfully had to leave Ash but not before shutting and locking the door behind her so that her sisters can't get in and Ash can't leave her, again.

Misty jogged out of the gym and made her way to the Pokemart. As she entered the shop she was greeted with whispers, murmurs and looks of surprise. Misty had forgotten that many people had found out about Ash leaving her and that made her depressed. She recalled every time when she would have to come into the shop when she just wanted to leave the gym. Everyone in the store would see her bloodshot eyes and sad expression on her face, but now she was cheerful and that made the patrons of the shop suspicious.

"Do you think he returned?" one whispered

"No you heard what he did. He would never return after that" another replied.

Misty walked up to the counter and spoke to the clerk "Hello could I please have the maps of the Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh regions please?"

The polite smile and request did surprise the shop worker, but they complied and wished the orange haired girl a good day. As she left she could hear whispers wondering if she had bought the maps so she could leave Kanto and explore the world. They had no idea just how wrong they were. Misty walked quickly back to the gym and unlocked her bedroom door. Misty was relieved that Ash was in the same place as she had left him.

The frail boy had fallen asleep so she took this time to read the maps she had just bought, but not before placing a soft kiss on his forehead as a greeting. Misty unfolded the first map she had in her bag and placed it on the desk. She scanned the top of the page and saw this one was listed as Sinnoh. She took out the map card she was given and compared that with the map she had bought. She noticed the two did not match so she threw it away and reached for the next map.

Misty immediately recognised it as Johto, a region where she, Brock and Ash had fun times together. Better times. Misty shook her head from the nostalgia and compared the map with the card. Once again she could not find a match. 'Last one to go' thought Misty. She put the map away and reached for the last map she had left. She unravelled it and saw it was labelled as Hoenn. She compared it with the map on the card and saw they were a match. She then tried to then figure out where on the card it was indicating.

She found the location on the map, but the orange haired girl was confused by the location. The mark was on a location where there was no land. 'I swear he said there was a tower. Unless it's underwater, is it? No it can't be. Hold on I think I remember hearing Aeleus mention a base they had in Hoenn and that no one could find it.' thought Misty. The girl kept wondering what that could mean. Misty had an idea. She was sure she had heard of something like this before.

Misty got up and walked over to where she had some books took out one. Misty wasn't really one for reading, they were books that she had been given as gifts. Misty had chosen the book entitled 'Mythology of the world'. Misty flipped a couple of pages until she reached the section entitled 'The Mirage Island'. Misty scanned the pages until she read the part on how to reach it. She noted the line that said that only someone who truly wanted to see the island would see it.

Misty glanced over to Ash and saw the condition he was.' I want to save him and for him to remember me. Who would want to see this place more than me?' Misty thought. She could not wait till tomorrow to go to the mirage island so she raced over to her wardrobe and threw her clothes into a bag. She took some spare clothes she had for Ash and put them in as well. Misty then wondered about Ash's appearance in case they were stopped by a doctor or someone recognised Ash.

Misty grabbed a jumper with a hood attached to it and put it over Ash's head and onto his body. Ash looked with interest at the clothing put on him. Misty smiled at Ash's curiosity. She grabbed the hood and pulled it forward so that it covered Ash's head. She then pulled the drawstrings tightly as to cover his face. Misty then was concerned about her own identity as people may wonder why the girl who had her heart broken was walking around with another person. Misty then picked a similar jumper for herself and wore it in the same fashion as Ash.

Misty looked in the nearby mirror and smiled. They looked like a moody teenage couple. Misty took Ash's hand and led him out of the room. She took Ash over to the indoor swimming pool and showed him the various Pokemon. Misty was disheartened when Ash had a blank look on his face when he saw all the Pokemon. It hurt most when Misty saw Ash's apathetic reaction to Pikachu. Misty saw little Pikachu's nose twitch as it smelt a familiar smell. It turned its head to the figure of its master returned.

Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder and hugged him tightly whilst licking his cheek with joy. Ash's other Pokemon saw this and realised that their master had returned. They crowed round Ash and started to happily hug him. Ash just stood still. He was unfamiliar with the Pokemon hugging him and he was unsure why they were hugging him. Misty let out a sigh and reached for the respective Pokemon's Pokeballs and returned each of the bar Pikachu who clung onto Ash's shoulder defiantly.

Misty let out a sigh of defeat and took Ash's hand and led him out. As they left the building she wondered if anyone would recognise them because of Pikachu, but she discounted that idea as there was nothing that separated Ash's Pikachu from Pikachu's when it comes to appearance. Misty was sure no one would tell the difference unless they knew them of course. Misty froze when she saw someone she recognised. 'Please don't stop and talk' thought Misty.

"Ah you two make such a cute couple. Ah and you even have a cute little Pikachu. I remember two friends I knew that had a cute Pikachu like you two. Wait you even have same hat he wore and the same red bag she had. Hold on…"said Dawn as the gears in her head started to work. "Misty is that you with Ash?" Dawn asked as she pulled the hoods off.

Misty sighed and nodded. She knew that it wouldn't be the same without Ash having his hat on, but she didn't think that would make him that recognisable. If only she hadn't bumped into Dawn and for her, for once, to use her head and put all the clues together. 'How am I going to explain this?' thought Misty.

"Shh! Ok fine, yes this is Ash, just keep your voice down" Misty said quietly while putting hers and Ash's hoods back up.

Dawn nodded and leaned in to whisper to Misty "So what's going on?" Dawn enquired.

Misty waved Dawn into the gym and led her inside. She took her and Ash to her bedroom where they wouldn't be disturbed. Though she did have to pull Dawn along when she got side tracked by the Pokemon playing in the pool. Misty closed her bedroom door behind her and locked it. She then turned around to explain the whole situation to her friend.

"Look I went out swimming a day ago and while swimming in the Cerulean Lake I found Ash's body so I revived him and took him back to the bedroom" at saying this Misty went bright red because of the possible implications. This made Dawn giggle like a school girl. Misty got over this awkward moment and continued her explanation: "after discovering that it was Ash, by cleaning the blood and dirt on his body" this caused Dawn to look in surprise over at Ash.

"I took him to Team Rocket's old base in Viridian City to see if I could find any clues. There was a member of Team Rocket called Ienzo waiting there. He said that they had stolen Ash's memories and the only way to return him to his old self is to go to the tower located on this card" Misty said explaining.

Dawn nodded and took in all the information before saying: "Say can I see the card he gave you?"

Misty nodded and took out the card and gave it to Dawn. The blue haired girl scanned the card and noticed something familiar about it. She then remembered why it was so familiar. It was one of the locations she had gone to when she was with Ash.

"Hey we went to this place when we were stopping Team Rocket. This is on the mirage island I think. It's not easy to find that's why it's not on any map. I think there are many rocks and it's quite foggy as well so you should be careful when getting there" Dawn said smiling sweetly.

"Thanks. Hey would you like to come with us?" Misty asked.

"Thanks, but I think I have had my fill of adventures, besides there is a contest going on near here so I thought I'd just drop by to see how you were. Anyway I must get going" said Dawn smiling.

"Yeah, so should we if we want to get to Vermillion City before nightfall. Nice meeting you again and good luck" Misty said smiling.

"You to. Bye" Dawn said smiling.

Misty turned around and led Ash in the direction of Vermillion City. 'That was nice meeting Dawn again' thought Misty reflecting on the scene just gone. Dawn smiled and kept waving goodbye to Misty and Ash. When they had left her line of vision she let out a soft sigh. The blue haired girl reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She went into contacts and phoned the person at the top of her contacts. Dawn waited as the phone rang.

"Hello it's me. I have something important to tell you. Is there somewhere we can meet up Paul?"

* * *

Ash and Misty made their way to the Vermillion city. They were lucky that they did not bump into Brock as Misty did not have the patience or the time to explain the situation to someone else. Misty didn't even have the time to explain the situation to her sisters she instead left a brief note for them saying that Misty had to get some time to herself to piece things together and get over Ash. 'Fat chance of that happening' thought Misty as she looked over at Ash.

Misty made her way over to the ticket office and bought two tickets to Lilycove City in Hoenn. Misty returned to Ash with the tickets and took his hand. The orange haired girl in the hoodie led her boyfriend up the ramp and into the ship. Any onlookers who saw the couple of the slow boy being dragged along by an energetic girl would believe them to be a young teenage couple. That was exactly what Misty had planned people would think when they saw.

* * *

Misty stepped up into the ship and was directed by a worker where her room was. The man led Misty to a room containing a nightstand, a wardrobe and a double bed. Misty blushed when she realised that she had forgotten to specify that she would need two single beds. The ticket office worker probably assumed they were a couple and just gave her a double bed since she did not specify.

It was then that Misty noticed the décor and she came to the realisation that they had been given the honeymoon suite. 'Well this is going to be awkward, but I guess it's better than having Ash being by himself. Misty looked behind her to see Ash surveying the room with curiosity. He was looking about the room wondering why there were rose petals and beautiful patterns on the duvets as well as mirrors on the ceiling.

"Just great" muttered Misty.

**

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**

Right I have like eigh**t hours of seminars and lectures a week add that with 4 essays of 2000 words each to do along with the fact that I have to do extra reading means that I will be short of time, but I will try to update once a week rather than twice a\week as I used to. Than****k you and please rate and review.**

****Right it is only fair that I tell you this and not leave you on tender hooks. My laptop is broken and I can't write the stories in my bedroom at university. I also can't concentrate in the library to write them either due to everyone talking. I will update and explain the story by December where I will release a barrage of chapters. I will try to do a chapter before December, but that is only a possibility. Sorry about this.


	3. A second threat

**Here is the next instalment for you. Please do enjoy it.**

* * *

Misty took off the bag that was slung over her shoulders and threw it on the bed. She opened the bag and took out the spare clothes for her and Ash and placed them in the wardrobe. She then turned around at the sound of a rumbling sound. Misty smiled when she saw Ash had clutched his stomach from where the sound had come from. Misty made sure that the hat was covering part of his face while the hood, that was on top of that, was holding his trademark hat in place while also covering part of his face.

Misty checked her own disguise in the mirror, just to make sure that she was unrecognisable as well. Satisfied with what she had seen, the orange haired girl took Ash hand and led him out of the room. She remembered to lock the door behind her and walked slowly down a corridor. While walking a few feet it occurred to Misty that she had left her room with no real plan on what to do. She checked her watch and saw the time and saw that it read 7:55pm. 'Oh good then we may be in time for lunch if it is still on' thought Misty.

As they walked along the corridor Misty approached a worker on the ship for instructions to where the dining room was and when tea was served and ended. She was informed of the location of the dining room and that tea is served at 8:00. Misty was relieved that she had left her room in time for a meal. Misty had gotten on the ship before it left at 7:30 so it made sense to serve the meals half an hour after the ship left. Misty was hungry as well as Ash so she would get to, after a long time, finally have a meal with Ash.

As Misty pushed the door open she saw large groups of people in the dining hall sitting down to eat. Misty saw a spare table and dragged Ash along to it. People looked up from where they were looking at the menus and saw the couple come in. The onlookers could not help, but smile at the sight of the slim hooded teenager dragging her lazy boyfriend along with her. Misty sat Ash next to her and looked at the menu. She looked for something that Ash might like.

Misty saw that there was a burger option, but realising that in his recent state he would just devour the meal with his mouth rather than lifting the burger like a normal person. Misty hoped something liquidy would prevent that from happening. She hoped. Misty ordered their meals politely to the waiter while Ash struggled to stay upright in his seat. The weak boy was losing energy and was desperate to fall asleep. Misty after ordering their meals reached over and tried to keep Ash awake, so he could have a hot meal. Misty knew he certainly needed one.

After a short while the kitchen released an assortment of meals to several tables. Misty said a polite thank you as her meal reached her. Ash said nothing as the meal was put before, but the waiter did expect that to happen. Misty picked up a fork to take a piece of her pasta to eat when she looked over and saw Ash unsure about what to do. He was about to lean forward and drink the soup when Misty stopped him in time. Misty took a quick glance around to see the other diners stifling laughter.

Misty picked up a spoon and placed it in the soup she then lifted the spoon up and brought it to Ash's lips. Ash nervously opened his lips and drank the liquid. Misty then put the spoon in Ash's hands and left him to his meal while she went back to having her meal. Misty was really getting into her meal when she heard shouts of laughter around her. She looked to her right to see Ash holding the bowl up.

Misty frantically put down her fork and raced to Ash's side where she stopped him embarrassing them. The orange haired girl realised Ash would not learn what to do so she would have to feed him herself. Misty dipped the spoon in the bowl and lifted it into Ash's mouth. Ash obediently drank the liquid and looked back at Misty. Misty sighed and realised that she would have to spend her time feeding Ash to prevent a scene being created.

Misty could hear people around her laughing at her and Ash. Misty's cheeks grew red and she felt her body burn with embarrassment. When the final spoonful was drunk by Ash, she quickly moved to her seat and sat down. Misty pulled her hood over her head further to hide her face. Misty used her fork to take another piece of her pasta to her mouth. As Misty chewed on the pasta she made a face of disdain as her food had gone cold.

Misty looked over to Ash who was resting his head on the table. She saw his eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn't sleeping, but only resting from a lack of energy. 'I need to get to that base to restore him' thought Misty worriedly. Misty quickly ate her cold food and grabbed Ash's hand. Ash opened his eyes weakly at the feeling of Misty taking his hand. Ash was slowly pulled to his feet and stumbled around trying to find his balance.

Misty held Ash still and then led him out of dining room. She let out a sigh of relief as the dining room doors closed behind her. Misty dragged Ash along with her to their bedroom. Misty fumbled with the room card key as she tried to hold Ash up at the same time. Misty finally managed to unlock the door and pushed it open. Misty helped Ash over to the bed and laid him down. Ash welcomed the comfort of the bed and gave into its embrace. Misty smiled softly at Ash as he relaxed on the bed.

Misty looked over to the doorway and mentally debated whether or not to leave. Misty had a desire to feel the air of the sea and watch the waves ripple. Her longing to see the ocean was overpowered by her longing to see Ash. She looked at the weak boy and decided she would rather spend time with Ash, even if that meant just being there. Misty closed and locked the door behind her. She moved over to Ash and sat on the bed next to him. Misty placed a hand on his forehead and slowly trailed her hand through his hair.

Ash's eyes slowly opened as he looked up at Misty. Misty smiled weakly at Ash as she stroked his head. She slowly undid the drawstrings on Ash's hood and pulled it back. She moved his hat onto the bed and stroked his face softly. Ash softly closed his eyes at the soft sensation. Misty was snapped out of her moment when she heard a knock at the door. Misty put the hood and hat back on Ash and pulled the drawstrings tightly. Misty fixed her hood and opened the door. She was greeted with a smiling waiter.

"Room Service." The waiter said smiling.

"Oh but we didn't order anything." Misty corrected.

"Oh but this is a gift from the captain of the ship, for putting on a 'good show' for the diners." The waiter said trying not to chuckle.

"Oh well thank you very much" Misty said smiling graciously.

"You're welcome Miss. Please enjoy." The man said smiling cheekily.

Misty eyed the man curiously as he left them, but not before closing the door behind him. Misty shrugged off the odd moment. Misty was looking forward to find out was under the dish and lifted the lid. Misty dropped the lid in horror and stared at the platter. As a further joke from the diners they sent the 'couple' a tray of strawberries and cream. Misty sighed and picked up the tray to put on the bed. She picked up a strawberry and dipped it in some cream.

Misty then pushed the fruit past her lips and took a soft bite out of the fruit. Misty opened her eyes as she looked over at Ash. The weak boy's eyes were wide as he stared at the orange haired girl. Misty realised that the way she was eating the strawberry was a bit too 'sensual'. Misty blushed profusely, as she realised that after all the time without being with a man all her passion and desire she had built up until she absent-mindedly released it through actions. Misty likened this to a Freudian slip.

'Oh no please don't tell me this has happened when I was around my sisters' thought Misty. She started to remember moments when they would look awkwardly at her when she ate her meal, but she would always discount it. Misty looked down at Ash and smiled softly. She reached over for a strawberry and placed it on Ash's lips. Ash stared at the girl with the fruit. Ash was still and frozen with anticipation and confusion. Ash had no idea what she was doing let alone know who she even was.

Misty smiled seductively at Ash and whispered into his ears 'bite'. Ash nervously took a bite of the red fruit as Misty smiled at him. She slowly pressed the fruit into Ash's mouth where he ate it. Misty smiled and licked her lips at Ash. Ash was frozen with fear at this odd girl who was giving him peculiar signals. Misty leaned forward and let out a soft sigh. She pressed her lips onto his and softly rested them on his. Ash's body tensed at this moment from fear of not knowing what was going on. Misty pressed her weight onto Ash and laid her body on his.

The slim girl grabbed the bottom of Ash's hood and slowly lifted it above his head. Misty briefly broke the kiss to take off Ash's jumper and his shirt underneath. Misty threw her lips back onto Ash's and hungrily kissed him. Misty grabbed her jumper and threw it off along with her shirt underneath. Misty licked Ash's lips and returned her passionate kiss with him. Misty reached behind her to undo her bra strap. She took hold of Ash's neck and pulled him into her bosom. Misty let out a sigh and flipped them over so that Ash was on top.

Misty waited for pleasure she gained when Ash would kiss her breasts, but she felt nothing. She pulled Ash back and saw to her dismay, that he had a terrified look on his face. Misty felt a pain stick into her heart at Ash's reaction. Misty realised her position and covered up her naked body. She silently covered Ash's body up and ran out of the room, locking it behind her. Misty ran further through the ship until she reached the outside of the ship. Misty clung onto the railings and let tears spill out of eyes.

Two years she had waited to see Ash. Two long years and now that she had finally gotten him and he didn't want her. Misty felt sick, she felt inadequate. Misty knew if she had just gone out to the calm sea than stayed with Ash. 'If I had moved on and done something I enjoyed than chasing my desires over Ash then I would have been happy. Maybe I should have listened to my sisters after all.' Misty thought solemnly to herself.

'No if they hadn't taken Ash's memories of me he would still love me. I know he loves me, he just can't remember. He kept my name so he must love me.' Misty thought desperately. Misty held onto the last grasp of hope she had over Ash. She smiled at her reflection in the water and stood up straight. The orange haired girl took leave from the deck and made her way back to her room to see her lover.

* * *

"What did you want to see me about?" Paul said sternly.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" Dawn said nervously.

"What did you want?" Paul repeated.

Dawn was sitting on the chair twirling her thumbs nervously. She debated whether or not to tell Paul about Ash returning and where he and Misty were off to. Dawn feared about Misty and Ash's safety, but she also feared for Paul. They may have had their difficulties, but Dawn felt this bond with Paul. She felt that she must help as his friend. 'Would telling him about Ash and Misty help him though?" Dawn debated. She realised a long time had passed while she was thinking. She looked back at Paul who was patiently waiting for her response.

"Paul, are we friends?" Dawn asked nervously.

Paul looked at Dawn and then looked away from her. 'At least he didn't say no.' thought Dawn hopefully. Ever since she was a child Dawn always had this desire to help those she felt needed her help. It started with an injured Pidgey she found and nursing its broken wing back into shape. Paul was seen by Dawn as another soul to save, though she'd never say it to him. To Paul the thought of being someone's project would infuriate him. Dawn bit her lip nervously as she weighed up the consequences. 'Maybe the ends would justify the means.' Hoped Dawn.

"Ash is back, but he is in weak position. Misty told me that she found him while swimming. She then took him to the old Rocket base and met a guy called Ienzo. He told them to go to a base on Mirage Island where she hoped she would be able to get Ash's memories back which they stole from him" Dawn said explaining.

'Hmph. Ash has been betrayed and had his memories stolen. What an idiot. As soon as he is back to normal, I'll finally get his power. Not that it compares to mine.' Paul thought highly. He got out of his thoughts and looked over to Dawn who was smiling nervously at Paul. Paul glared her down. Paul got up to leave the coffee shop they were in when he was stopped by Dawn grabbing his sleeve.

"Please promise me you won't hurt them." Dawn said softly.

Paul looked down at the begging girl. Paul freed himself from Dawn's grip and made his way to the door and pushed it open. He stopped to mutter calmly to Dawn: "Are you coming?" Dawn was a bit taken aback by this. She grabbed her bag and hastily ran after him.

* * *

Misty opened the door to find Ash asleep on the bed. Misty saw that Ash had his clothing still on. Misty was surprised that he was able to sleep with all his clothes on. Misty felt the room was cool, but not cold enough to sleep for Ash to sleep with all his clothes on. Misty pulled off Ash's shoes and his trousers. She kept undressing his clothes until he was in his boxers. Misty smiled and got changed into her pyjamas. Misty realised that she was a bit too forward with Ash and decided to take it slow.

Misty slid into the bed and closed her eyes. As she was about to sleep Misty felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. Misty instinctively turned her head to the source. She saw Ash still asleep with his arms around her. Misty smiled softly and placed her hand on top of his clasped hands. 'He still cares' Misty thought.

**

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**

Right I am sooooo sorry for the delay. My laptop broke so I had trouble getting any work done let alone the story, not to mention all the essays for university. I understand though many of you will have had work of your own to have done and for that I am sorry. So I'll try to get the chapter uploaded as soon as possible. Thanks for reading.


	4. Clearing the looking glass

**Right here is the next instalment. Thank you for your kind patience reader. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Misty let out a soft yawn as she awoke from her sleep. Misty felt a pair of arms still wrapped around lithe waist. Ash may not remember her or be able to express his love to her; Misty knew his subconscious could express love for him. Misty heard the ship's horn blow loudly. She regretfully got up from the bed and Ash's embrace to look out the window. Misty saw the ship was making port at Lilycove dock. She saw it was time to go, lest they want to take the ship back to Kanto.

Misty picked up her clothes from the floor and dressed herself. She walked over to Ash and softly shook his shoulder. Ash's eyes opened weakly as he looked over at Misty. The girl smiled softly at him as she handed him some clothing. Ash sat up and looked at Misty softly and took the clothes off the orange haired girl. Misty smiled kindly at Ash and softly stroked Ash's cheek. It warmed Misty's soul when Ash didn't flinch from her touch and instead moved into it.

Misty realised she would have to be slow with Ash until he got his memories back. Misty helped dress Ash and picked up their belongings. Misty walked over to Pikachu who had come back late at night after exploring the ship. The little electric mouse jumped onto Ash's shoulder, ready to leave. Misty took Ash's hand and led him out of the room. She took him out of the ship and into the dock to find a ship to take them to Mirage Island. Misty looked over at Ash who was looking with interest at Lilycove City.

Misty looked along the docks for a ship or a boat or anything that could take them to the Mirage Island. The orange haired girl saw an old man standing by a white motor boat. The wizened man looked over at the girl approaching him. The old man looked over at the couple with a Pikachu. 'The boy with the jumper and the Pikachu look familiar. Never seen that girl though, she must be the boy's girlfriend.' Thought the captain.

"Excuse me, but my er friend and I are exploring Hoenn and we want to visit this place called Mirage Island. Do you know how to get to it?" Misty inquired.

"Certainly Miss. I remember a boy and his friends came here a while ago asking the same thing. If my memory serves me well I should be able to take you there." The old man said smiling.

"Oh thank you. How much do we owe you?" Misty asked.

"Oh nothing. I've been waiting for some sort of adventure and travelling to that Mirage Island was one of my most exciting adventures. It might been short, but I have never forgotten it. Please come aboard my ship" The Captain said smiling.

"Oh Thank you." Misty said smiling with joy.

Misty took Ash's hand and led him into the ship.

* * *

Misty was sitting in the ship's cabin with Ash holding his hand to keep him calm. The Captain was by the controls trying to keep the ship from tipping over. The boat rocked from side to side as the waves crashed and rocks beckoned the ship closer to them. The fog swept over the area and blinded the vision of the Captain. Pikachu clutched tightly onto its master's shoulder to make it feel safe. The Captain was trying to attempt the same maneuver he achieved last time he sought out Mirage Island.

The Seas this time had no intent of flinging the ship onto the Island. The Captain had a feeling this time the waves wanted to take the ship with it. The fog was shrouding the environment, preventing anything from being seen. It wasn't until it was too late that the Captain was able to see the rocks in front of the ship…

* * *

Misty opened her eyes to find herself inside the ship's cabin. She felt a throbbing pain in her head and she tried to sit up. As Misty's eyes adjusted to the scenery she noticed something was wrong. It was drastically filling with water. Misty looked horrified at the rushing water, but she was less terrified of that than realising Ash was not near her. Misty frantically looked around for Ash, Pikachu or the Captain. Misty looked to one side and saw the glass next to her was smashed.

The crack in the glass not only let the water in, but also sent Ash out of the boat. Misty became overwhelmed with worry. She grabbed her bag and swam through the window. The orange haired girl frantically swam through the waves searching for Ash. She searched for a while until she saw a yellow image in front of her. She swam swiftly over to it and picked it up. Misty rose to the surface and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Pikachu in her arms.

She saw the Island was near them and swam as fast as she could to the shore. She laid the unconscious mouse Pokemon down and dived into back the water. Misty gracefully moved through the waters. The deeper she went the darker the waters got. She moved around the ship trying to find Ash. From the weak currents she felt that Ash could not have possibly have gotten that far. Misty felt the air in her lungs run out and regretfully had to rise to the top. As she reached the top she saw Ash's body floating at the top. Misty grabbed him and led him to shore with Pikachu.

She flipped him over and pressed his chest fifteen times before breathing into his mouth. She repeated this process constantly until Ash spat Sea water into her face. Misty breathed a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground. Misty saw to her relief the Captain come out from the water with a smile on his face. Misty smiled softly at the man.

"Ah thank you, young lady. It's been a long time since I've felt such a rush. Well looks like I'm back to repairing my ship. Will you need me to stay here to give you a lift back?" He asked kindly.

"No thanks. We'll probably be here a while. You mind giving us your number so we can call you if we need a lift back much later?" Misty asked politely.

The Captain smiled happily and handed his number over to the young girl. The Captain nodded at Misty and walked back to his ship to repair it. Misty walked over to Ash and sat him up. The black haired boy opened his eyes and looked at Misty softly. Misty smiled at Ash and pulled him into a hug. The little electric Pokemon hopped onto Ash's shoulders to join in the hug. The boy leant into Misty to be more in the hug. The trio felt the warmth of each other as they held each other tightly.

Misty let out a sigh as she enjoyed the moment they were having together. It reminded her of old times from Kanto, that she had longed for, for so long. She regretfully moved away so they continue their quest to the Tower looming over them. Misty led Ash up the large set of stairs. Every step moved them closer to the large obelisk that stood firm over the trio. Misty pulled Ash up the stairs and moved to the large stone doors. The white doors served as the final bastion that separated Misty from Team Rocket.

Misty leaned forward and knocked on the door. Three knocks was all that it took to send the door open. As it widened for the trio to see the darkness loomed around the room, testing their bravery. The orange haired girl looked over to her lover. She felt a strong sense of courage when he was with her. The group entered together into the dark. The group's arrival signalled the shut of the door, trapping them in the darkness. Misty held onto Ash tightly in fear that they might be separated.

* * *

Suddenly the lights flashed on illuminating the room. Misty's eyes were blinded by the pure whiteness of the walls, ceilings and floors. Her eyes were overwhelmed by the brightness of the area, but her ears were heightened. They were strong enough to hear the soft chuckling in the area. 'Wait I know that voice'. Thought Misty. As her eyes adapted to the change in lighting she saw a familiar image form from a black blur. As her vision shifter around, she eventually saw the figure of a tall, thin man with short blond hair, piercing blue eyes and a cocky smile.

"Well, well, well, haven't we all grown up?" A voice said.

Misty's eyes widened and mouth opened. She stared in shock at the man before. 'But, he died'. Thought Misty. She felt her mind rushing back to all the moments she had with him in Team Rocket, the time when she met him leading up to the final battle between her, Ash and him. She saw the smug look of sophistication around his face as he stood calmly. The man's appearance and stance was not in the least bit frightening, but the fact that he was able to come back, just when she felt safe left her shaken.

"Luxord…" She muttered.

"It's been a while young lady". Luxord said smiling.

"H-how?" She uttered.

"Let me explain for you my dear" Luxord said with a grin.

_

* * *

_

Ash turned around suddenly to reveal the news to Misty. He froze when he saw the sight of three black hooded people. The main one standing in the middle threw his hood back. This revealed the face of a smirking blond haired man.

"_Hey Champ. Got it all figured out?" The man said smiling._

"_Yeah. I remembered all the times when you talked about being a gambler saying things like being able to put odds in your favour or how you said you gamble in battle". Ash said._

_Luxord looked at Ash smiling. He raised his hand slowly to indicate to his employees to stand back to allow Ash time to speak._

"_I also remembered Larxene's words about you. She told me that you are 'always off doing something'. I immediately thought that even your own team members knew that you were up to something. It was when I finished my fight with Meyd when he told me that having electric aura powers electric Pokemon likewise with dark aura and dark Pokemon."_

_Luxord nodded all the while, smiling at Ash._

"_I then remembered Aeleus telling me how he got Regirock from you while you getting something else in that area. It was then that I realised that Byron had Regirock and that you must have been in that area for something else from Byron if you managed to get his Regirock. It was then when I picked up this muddied Pokeball that I remembered my experience with a stone Pokeball that housed a dark spirit that took over me with immense strength. I have figured out that you stole that Pokeball and used it on yourself to use its dark powers to strengthen your dark Pokemon. However you knew that if you lost your entire aura would have been lost and you would have passed away. But you knew that you could use the dark aura as a backup just in case you lost. When you lost, you feigned death and made us think everything was over. However when the members of Team Rocket were lost without guidance and a leader you then took this opportunity to claim leadership and take advantage of us letting our guard down. Which led you to this moment where you will kill me" Ash explained._

_Luxord let out a sound of laughter as he clapped for Ash. He smiled softly and indicated to his soldiers. The man on the left revealed a Molotov cocktail and a canister of petrol._

"_Oh well that wasn't my plan at all. I am offering you a choice. Either you can come with us and inform Misty that you plan to join us or the pyromaniac to the left of me will trap you loved ones in that Gym and burn it to the ground. Your choice kiddo." Luxord said smiling._

_Ash had no choice and submitted to Luxord's demands._

* * *

"So you ordered this? But why? Why did you just take his memories and not just kill him if he will just come back as a threat?" Misty asked.

"Oh yes, Team Rocket burns down a Gym and kills a famous trainer. As soon as we do that Pokemon League will have perfect reasons to close us down and imprison us. I chose a different route. I chose to make Ash recant his love for you and make everyone believe he was part of Team Rocket. With that the Pokemon league will not worry about Ash. We could then have killed him, but rather we left him in a position of weakness. Then we dumped him near the Cerulean Lake knowing you'd find her. You would then want revenge and we had old Ienzo tempt you to the tower. Then it was just playing the waiting game. Now everyone thinks you have left the world to 'find yourself' and Ash has joined Team Rocket. So if you two 'disappear'. Who will notice? Once the main people who stopped us last time we will be free." Luxord said triumphantly.

Misty hated to admit it, but she was impressed. It was fitting so well. It was as if he was planning but Misty had to ask him one thing that she thought would shake him.

"Yes well you forgot that we were not the only ones who stopped your members there were-"

"Paul, Dawn and Brock you mean? My dear, I think you'll find that Brock is busy at the Gym with his siblings and father. Paul and Dawn though? Oh don't worry poppet. We're prepared for them." Luxord coolly said.

Misty felt a sickening feeling at Luxord's words. No matter what she planned he always had a backup plan, even his ambiguous words about Paul and Dawn. Misty felt close with Dawn despite not knowing her that long. Her relationship was not that easy with Paul, especially his cold shoulder attitude to Misty. Despite this Misty did not wish any hardship on him. Misty had one last desperate trick up her sleeve.

"Wait you've just told us your plans. We could tell the Pokemon league your plans and stop you now." Misty said strongly.

Luxord chuckled loudly and said: "Sure love. Just give that locked door a good tug and go and whistle blow on us."

Misty knew Luxord was smart and did not want that feeling that she could have something different even if it made her feel stupid. She looked at Luxord smiling at her expectantly. She turned around and grabbed the handle and tugged it. She felt nothing from the door. She felt stupid from trying the door. It wasn't helped from the laughter behind her. Misty felt her anger rise as she turned to faced him. Luxord laughter slowed down and smiled at her.

"Ah calm down young lady. How about I clue you in about this little area? You see this little tower is made up of several areas with each member holding a card with Ash's memories inside. Beat us and you get 'em. The further you rise you will eventually meet the big boss, i.e. me. If you want to save the little kiddo over there you'll have to beat us. Just hope you don't die." Luxord said smiling.

"You're nothing, but a horrible thug" Misty spat.

Luxord closed his eyes and smiled. He slowly and calmly replied to Misty: "And pray tell me. What violent act have I ever done to Ash?"

Misty froze. Every encounter she had with Luxord and he always came off as 'charming'. He never raised his hand against anyone. Misty immediately regretted her choice of the word 'thug'. She would have used his battles against Ash, but she immediately found problems with this. First when Luxord defeated Ash for the first time and brought him back to the Headquarters, he produced no scars on him, but only drained his energy. The second battle did involve more aggression, but how could a battle against Ash make him a thug when everyone battled against each other. Misty herself even battled Ash constantly. When she looked over at Ash sitting weakly on the ground she was staring the bleeding obvious in the face.

"Then explain Ash's condition. How is that not thuggish?"

Luxord placed his opened hand on his chin and rested it. Thinking for a while before responding. "Technically I did not hurt him, my people did, but I ordered it. In my defence I was bluffing I would not have burnt the gym down. But hey gamblers bluff. Just to let you know the method of taking his memories was a tiring process not a painful one for Ash. Well this has been fun. I look forward to seeing you. Farwell poppet."

The blond haired man disappeared into the shadow beneath him and left the area. Misty let out a sigh. She did not feel happy with Luxord despite his justification. Although he might not be a thug, he does seem as manipulative and cunning puppeteer. Misty turned her head to the left to Ash to see him staring at where Luxord had been standing. 'Was he listening? Did he understand what Luxord was saying? Why Luxord out of anyone anyway?' Thought Misty.

**

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Right there is the explanation of the cliff-hanger from 'Things changed'. I do hope the twist wasn't too complex and I hope my explanation suffices. Please do tell me what you thought. Thanks for reading.


	5. Revelations

**Right here is the next chapter of the story and I do hope you will enjoy it.**

* * *

Misty looked at where Luxord had been standing and saw that he was standing in front of a short set of steps leading up to a double set of white doors. Misty walked over to Ash and supported him over to the short steps. Misty looked down and smiled at Pikachu who was helping move Ash along to the steps. As they climbed the steps Misty reached out and grabbed the door handle and gave it a good tug. Misty smiled as she felt the door give way and open out before them. Misty saw the area led to a lift.

Misty saw the lift doors were open and helped Ash inside. As the trio made their way into the lift the orange haired girl looked at where the panel of buttons that should be on the lift absent. Instead all that was there was a button with an arrow pointing upwards on it. Misty cautiously reached forward and pressed the button. Suddenly the lift sprung into life and it closed its doors in front of the group. The lift rose slowly to the second floor and stopped prematurely. Misty was confused why the lift was designed to only go up one floor.

She helped Ash out of the lift and into the light. She saw a man standing in a black coat with a hood. 'Must be the next obstacle'. Thought Misty. She moved Ash over the robed figure. Misty found herself standing nervously in front of the tall thin figure. She hadn't met many of the other Team Rocket members. She only knew Realen, Luriama, Aeleus, Meyd and Luord. She was nervous about joining Team Rocket and Luord had been kind to her and 'took her under his wing'.

He acted like a friend and kept her calm and in the organisation. Luord had achieved in keeping Misty in Team Rocket. He also was able in keeping her ignorant in lower members of Team Rocket who would later become his new soldiers. 'Wow he really does plan ahead'. Misty thought admiringly. The tall thin man took off his hood to reveal his bony sharp face. The man had an unpleasant grin on his face.

"Made it at last I see. I am Even I assume you must be Misty. I have already met you little friend over there." Even said smiling.

Misty looked over at Ash who was staring at the black robed man. Misty looked back at man and questioned him: "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh that isn't important, this on the other hand is."

The man produced from his pockets a card that had a picture of Ash as if he was speaking. 'His social skills' Misty mentally gasped. The man smiled and put the card back in his pocket. Suddenly the area around her changed and morphed into trees, foliage and forests. Misty slowly began to recognise the area as Viridian Forest. She felt the grass under her feet rise up. She was wondering whether this was real or merely a manipulation of her senses. She looked up at the man called Even for answers.

"What is this? And what do you want?" Misty shouted out of fear.

"Oh it's simple. A one on one Pokemon battle. Win and you can have the card. Ok?" Even asked menacingly.

Misty had little choice other than to accept his offer. The tall man reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokeball. He threw it out and it burst out with a beam of light. The beam of light hit the ground and materialised into a Cloyster. The dark coloured shell opened up to reveal a grinning pearl. Misty had her own Pokemon that she thought might be able to break through the tough shell of Cloyster. She tossed out her Pokeball that cracked open. The ball's contents revealed a Politoed. The green frog Pokemon smirked as it flexed it muscles to prepare for the battle. Misty took the opportunity to order the first attack.

"Politoed use mega punch" Misty ordered.

"Cloyster use withdraw" Even countered.

The shell Pokemon closed its armour and to protect itself. Politoed followed its attack through and slammed its fist on the hard shell. Cloyster was shaken inside, but that was the only effect it had. The green Pokemon winced at the pain it felt from the strength of the shell. Misty was hoping that this battle would not result in her opponent constantly defending against her attacks.

"Cloyster use ice beam" Even ordered quickly.

"Er Politoed use water gun" Misty replied with uncertainty.

Misty regretted her command as soon as she had issued it. Cloyster opened its shell and released a pale blue beam that shot at Politoed. The frog Pokemon retaliated by spraying out a jet of water. As the water collided with the beam of ice it froze mid-air. The frozen water was hit in the direction of Politoed. The Pokemon was knocked back by the impact of the frozen water gun causing it to fall on its back. The stream of ice shot over Misty who ducked down and covered her eyes in fear. The beam hit a tree and froze it solid. Misty turned around and saw the tree frozen.

'Wait if this is an illusion then how did the ice beam from the real Pokemon affect a fake tree? I'm so confused' thought Misty. She looked over to Ash who was sitting up with worry on his face. Misty eyed Ash with curiosity and wondered why he had that expression on his face. Then answer came in a sharp pain on her neck. Misty let out a cry of pain as something shot pierced her skin. Misty turned her head nervously to see Even standing her with a needle with half of it filled with a red liquid. At the sight of that Misty felt her body go weak and woozy.

As Misty felt control in her body go she fell forward. Misty braced for the impact of hitting the ground, but it never came. She weakly opened her eyes and saw to her delight Ash had instinctively caught her before her fall. Ash looked up and glared at the thin shaped man. Even placed the needle back in his coat pocket and produced out of it the same card he had shown Misty earlier. The card broke into three balls of light that hit Ash squarely. The impact sent Ash on the floor, along with Misty who was held up by the black haired boy. Misty in her weak state fell on Ash and passed out.

* * *

Misty slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and saw she was surrounded by a forest. Memories of events prior flooded her head. The orange haired girl turned her head around to look for Even. To no surprise the man had left them in the forest. Misty felt a stirring under her and looked down at the source. She saw Ash's skin had regained some of its colouring and his body had grown some strength back. Ash's eyes openly slowly as he got used to having the strength to see properly.

Ash eyed Misty oddly which gained an odd look back from Misty. After a brief moment of staring Misty remembered their position and Ash's lack of memories of her. The poor boy had no idea who she was nor why she was on top of him. Misty moved off Ash and sat next to him. A little electric mouse Pokemon leapt over to Ash and licked his cheek happily causing Ash to smile softly. 'He remembers Pikachu, but not me. I guess the first memory gave him strength to regain his other memories. The rest of his memories must be unobtainable until we get the rest of the cards' Thought Misty.

"Er who are you?" Ash asked nervously.

"I'm your, I mean I am Misty nice to meet you" Misty said smiling.

"Hi I'm Ash. All I remember is coming here on a boat, and after that my memory is a little foggy. Who are you two?" Ash asked curiously.

"I'm your, I mean I'm Misty, this is Pikachu your Pokemon." Misty said softly.

"Why don't I remember you guys then?" Ash asked.

"Well you see this group called Team Rocket have stolen your memories, most importantly your memories of your friends, family and social skills." Misty decided to leave out the point that they had separately stolen his memories of her, but she thought it was best to leave this out for now so to not overwhelm him.

"Right, that would explain why I remember Team Rocket and my adventures, but none of my friends and family. Wait how can I talk if they stole my memories of my social skills?" Ash asked again.

"Oh well just now I was able to retrieve your social skills by defeating this member of Team Rocket." Misty said smiling while rubbing the back of her neck.

Ash smiled softly and added thanks to his new friend. Ash began to think about his memories of his adventures. Every time he thought of a moment when he was in trouble and he had to have help from another person his mind went blank. It didn't make any sense to Ash. He looked over to Misty who was smiling softly at him. 'She's nice. I wonder why only she came with me' Thought Ash.

"So that blond man and the guy in the robe were they from Team Rocket? Cause I remember the fights and what they said, but I have no memory of you" said Ash.

"Looks like when they took memories of your friends it also prevented you from remembering us or creating new memories." Misty said regretfully.

Little Pikachu leapt up onto Ash's shoulder. Ash didn't know who this Pokemon was, but he had already taken a liking to it. Misty smiled at this as she knew Ash liked Pikachu from the moment he had met him. It was then that Misty remembered that Ash and she weren't on the best terms when they had met. 'Oh damn' Thought Misty.

* * *

"I trust it all went to plan Even?" A red spikey headed man questioned.

"Yes all the data has been gathered" Even replied.

"Remember Luord must not hear a word of this. His plan is not as strong as ours" A black haired man added.

"Don't worry. Got it memorised." The red headed man said tapping his head.

"Even don't you have work to get to?" A tall blond man spoke.

The three robed members turned sharply to see their leader standing in the doorway. Luord had a sharp grin on his face as he observed their tense body language. He didn't know what they had been talking prior to him coming into the room, but he wasn't going to reveal that. He was going to use their ignorance to his advantage. Luord took a step forward and stared harshly at his three workers. Even slinked away quickly to finish his work. Luord smiled at the thin man as he slipped past him to make his way to his room.

Luord looked over to the spiked hair man who was looking sternly back at Luord. The blond haired man looked over to Ienzo who was staring at back him. Luord smiled as he was engaged in a staring contest with his two members who obviously were trying to hide something. Luord decided to cut the atmosphere by revealing why he had come down to their level.

"I thought it would be best to inform you two of some intruders who have entered the tower. A boy and a girl. I hope you can stop them so as not to ruin your, I mean our plans." Luord said smiling.

With that Luord disappeared into the shadows and left the two in peace. The two members looked at each other in worry that their leader was onto them.

"You think he has any idea?" Ienzo queried.

"He is suspicious yes, but I doubt he has any idea of our plans. Besides I doubt he cares anyway." The red headed man stated.

"Anyway those intruders Luord mentioned I believe I have a solution to that issue." Said Ienzo as he motioned to the darkness.

Out stepped a man from the darkness. The man wore a pair of dark specs with a Team rocket insignia shirt and a pair of black cargo trousers. He wore a calm stoic expression on his face. He looked over to Ienzo and nodded solemnly. Standing next to the man was a fierce looking Umbreon.

"Tell me can you handle these two people for us Nick?"

* * *

Misty sat Ash down on the grass to tell him all about their adventures, more importantly about their friendship. She still thought it was best to leave their relationship out of it until they were connected better.

"So I just let you leave after you got your bike fixed?" Ash asked with shock.

"Er pretty much" Misty said uncomfortable.

She didn't enjoy having to tell the harsher details of their adventure, but she felt that it helped break down some barriers between them. Misty started to feel that to get Ash more in touch with their relationship she had to try and show she was interested in him through her body language. Though Misty knew Ash was a pretty dense person. Still that was better than nothing. Ash smiled softly and stood up. He offered his hand to Misty who took it gratefully. Misty smiled softly at Ash as she said deeply into his eyes. Ash smiled nervously at this girl's behaviour. Ash wondered if there was something Misty wasn't telling him about their history together. Misty led Ash along the grass over to where branches had over grown. The orange haired girl pulled the branches away to reveal a door. She saw a button on the wall next to it and pressed it. The doors opened for the trio to enter.

The group made their way into the lift and started it working. Misty to her dismay felt the lift rise only one level. 'Great. Getting to the top is going to take a while' thought Misty tiredly. The doors opened out to reveal a large dark cave. It felt as if the large rock cavern was closing around any exit, trapping them in. Ash and Misty scanned the very dark area trying to see what they had to do. After looking around they saw a dark figure standing in front of them in the shadows. The figure looked familiar to the two.

* * *

The ships horn bellowed to inform passengers of arrival. The ship stopped at the dock and weighed anchor. The steps were connected to the ship to allow passengers to leave. The first coming off the ship were a blue haired girl and a purple hair coloured boy. The two people made their way down the stairs and over to the docks. The stern boy walked over to the various different speed boats looking for one to take him to his chosen destination. He looked with his companion to find a proper vessel. After a brief scan of the area the boy made his way over to an old man.

"You. Can you give us a lift to Mirage Island?" Paul asked.

* * *

**Right sorry for the delay, but my plan went a bit ascew so I hope to have the next one done soon. (In case you haven't noticed I like to plan my stories quite a bit). P.s the update was correcting my mistake of giving the blue haired girl black hair. Sorry about that and the next chapter should be with you hopefully no later than Sunday.**


	6. Fighting the battle on two fronts

**Right here is the next chapter for you.**

* * *

"I see Even gave you your social skills back. Seems fair as you would be pointless without them"

Misty and Ash looked at the sound of a deep voice. Out stepped a man with a tall strong man with dark hair. His facial expression conveyed one of sternness. Immediately Ash recognised the man as 'Nick'. Over the years Nick had grown stronger and more agile; he looked as if he had gone on a strict military course to become more adept. The sudden meeting between him and Nick caused his memories to bubble up and alter all that he thought he knew. Ash wondered how many more instances he would have this odd feeling; this sudden rush of memories. He looked over to the orange haired girl next to him.

He hoped that the block keeping him from remembering her would go. He felt this strong sense attracting him to her. He would do anything to know who she was. Misty turned her head to see the boy staring at her. She blushed lightly and looked away from the gaze. 'Does he? No I can't be sure…for now' Misty thought. The duo turned their attention back on the Team Rocket member.

"What are you doing here you snake Nick?" Misty spat.

"Before dealing with another nuisance that has revealed itself I felt it appropriate to deal with this problem first of all" Nick stated bluntly.

Before Ash and Misty could respond, Nick chose his Umbreon, who leapt of out the shadows. The dark Pokémon readied itself as the gold rings on its body glowed brightly with power. Ash reached for his Pokeball, however his actions were interrupted by an electric mouse leaping off his shoulders. The little mouse Pokémon smiled and waved at its owner. Ash felt a warm tingling feeling inside as he stared into the loving eyes of his Pokémon. Pikachu turned to face the Umbreon. 'Looks like Nick's Pokémon has evolved from being an Eevee' he thought. Ash's only clue that it was the same Eevee was the strong dark aura emanating from it. 'Why can I only remember memories about my enemies and none of my loved ones? It's just cruel' thought Ash sadly.

"Umbreon use shadow ball"

The command shook Ash back into focus only to left at a loss of what to do. "Pikachu dodge it" Ash shouted quickly.

The electric mouse leapt to one side as the ball of darkness collided with then wall. The impact tore the wall causing a hole. There were no fragments from the wall, as if the attack had eaten or absorbed part of the wall. Ash looked with horror at the damage caused by the shadow ball. He could feel that this feeling in the pit of his stomach that this Pokémon was going to get hurt for him. 'I could help it easily somehow, but I have no idea what attacks it has' Ash thought hopelessly. Ash felt a hand touch his shoulder. He looked to the right and saw the orange haired girl smiling at him.

"Ash Pikachu's moves are: thunderbolt, iron tail, volt tackle and thunder." Misty said reassuringly with a smile.

Ash smiled and ordered his first attack. "Pikachu use volt tackle".

"Umbreon use quick attack".

Ash had chosen the attack on the basis of which attack sounded the strongest and he was certainly not disappointed. The little Pokémon ran at full pelt at the dark Pokémon. Ash was taken back when he saw Pikachu suddenly burst into life with a thousand volts flowing out of its body. Umbreon bravely charged at the living voltage head on. The two collided with such power that they were both thrown back. The yellow Pokémon flew back but managed to recover and landed safely on its feet.

The same could not be said for its opponent who flew back to its owner, its body scraping along the ground as it did. The dark Pokémon weakly stood to its feet to face its foe. As it took a step closer to prepare itself, a sudden course of static electricity rushed through its body causing it to fall to the ground. The gold ringed Pokémon lay there motionless. Nick shrugged off the expectant pain from loss of aura. He returned took his Pokémon and placed it next to him. He reached for his next Pokeball. The ball was thrown out resulting in a sudden burst of light.

* * *

"Here we are" the captain said smiling.

Dawn smiled sweetly and gave her thanks; Paul on the other hand merely muttered thanks and walked past to the steps of the tower. The captain smiled at the duo as they made their way to the tower. He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. The old man saw a voice message left by Misty. The former passengers of the ship heard the noise, stopped and turned around to face him. Dawn looked nervously at Paul who was clearly unhappy.

"Who was that?" Paul asked sternly.

The captain was a bit taken back by Paul strictness with him, regardless of that he still answered him. "That was a girl who I gave a lift to saying that I shouldn't wait for them as they are going to be stuck in there for a while." The old man then thought for a while before saying: "Call me over protective, but I think I should get some help for them. You two best come with me in case that tower is dangerous."

The wizened man made his way to his undamaged ship to prepare it. 'I can't allow any interferences for my plan to work, in case the police suddenly crash the tower down" Paul thought determinedly. He looked over to Dawn who was scared about what Paul could do. Paul moved his gaze from the blue haired girl to the old man. Before he could move closer he was stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around his arm. He looked over to the source.

"Please don't hurt him".

Dawn stared into Paul's eyes and found no ounce of agreement in him. It was this that made Dawn almost plead to him "Just please promise me you won't kill him".

Dawn felt her grip on him waken as she felt some emotion in his eyes. "Fine, but you go up to the tower now" Paul said forcefully.

Dawn nervously took Paul's word and left to climb the stairs. Paul began to freely course the burning aura around his body. He took one step closer to the old man, and then another. 'She's nothing but a hindrance' thought Paul bitterly. He charged his aura in his hand and grabbed the back of the old man's head. The captain let out a groan as he felt his energy being sapped away. The man slumped to the ground unconscious, but still alive. 'Bloody girl' thought Paul as he turned around to make his way to the tower.

* * *

The light revealed a Raichu. The bulky Pokémon chuckled at its foe who was an evolutionary level beneath it. Pikachu readied itself for the first attack command.

"Pikachu use volt tackle" Ash said with growing confidence.

"Predictable. Raichu use surf" Nick muttered.

Pikachu started to run at its opponent. While doing so it charged electricity to course through its body. The speeding bullet gain much ground on its evolved form, yet while this was happening, Raichu was planning something of its own. The electric mouse rose on a large deep blue wave. It sent the wave crashing into the little rocket knocking it as if it were a rag doll. The excess water from the wave fuelled the electricity causing Pikachu to almost malfunction. The yellow Pokémon ski along the water and collided with the rock wall in front of it. The electricity on its body reacted violently with the water causing an unbearable amount of pain to the mouse Pokémon. Pikachu writhed on the ground as its body stung from the static energy.

Ash didn't know why but he suddenly felt a powerful connection to the injured Pokémon. This strong sudden bond blocked any pain he would have experienced from the loss of aura. He raced over and picked the Pokémon up and took it back to where he was. The yellow Pokémon looked up weakly at its master and smiled softly. Ash stroked the little Pokémon's head as it lay soundly in his arms. Ash looked up to Nick and shot him a vicious glare. The black haired boy grabbed a random Pokeball and threw it out. The ball opened to reveal a Sceptile. The grass Pokémon nodded to its owner and looked over to its opponent. The grass Pokémon did not judge its foe to be much of a match, based on the speed to weight difference. Sceptile readied its arm blades ready for the first strike.

"Ash Sceptile can use leaf blade, x-scissor, detect and agility" Misty said reassuringly.

Ash looked over to Misty and smiled thanks at her. Nick looked over to Misty and gave her a disapproving look. 'He is only staying in the fight because his 'crutch' is telling him all the answers' Nick thought.

"Sceptile use agility" Ash shouted.

"Raichu use thunder" Nick ordered.

Raichu sparked its cheeks and released a powerful surge of electricity from its body at its target. Sceptile smirked, and merely shot to another direction causing the attack to miss. Raichu put more power into the lightning attack. The extra power allowed the thunder to strafe around the area; chasing after the grass Pokémon. Ash watched on as the Pokémon that he owned, shot around the area avoiding the attack. 'Wow I must have done well if I was able to raise a Pokémon this strong' thought Ash with pride.

"Sceptile counter with leaf blade" Ash said.

The grass Pokémon leapt at the rock wall and pushed off with its strong feet. Raichu's attack caught up with its foe. As the grass Pokémon hit the wall it performed a corkscrew movement in the air to dodge the thunder. Ash's Pokémon used the momentum from the corkscrew to collide the blade on its arm with Raichu. The sharp leaf blade released a power so great that it threw the plump electric Pokémon off its feet and away. Nick watched on as his Pokémon crashed to the ground. He blocked out the pain and returned his Pokémon back to its capsule. Nick looked on in disgust at the orange haired girl. 'She's a problem that must be dealt with'.

* * *

Paul tugged the handle on the door. He felt it give way as it slowly opened for the duo. Dawn stared at Paul with fear, though she still had that little bit of hope when he kept his promise to her. 'That poor man. I suppose he will, be ok in a while. I hope…' Dawn thought. Paul grunted as he finally pulled the door wide open. He looked over at the blue haired girl who was twiddling her fingers.

"Come on" muttered Paul.

Dawn perked up and skipped into the tower with Paul. As they made their way into the pitch black room, the large double doors closed behind them. Paul didn't even react, he knew that would happen. Besides he didn't have any reason to leave…Dawn looked in fear as the darkness shrouded over them. The duo felt the darkness creep ever so closer to them. It felt like some hand was going to grab and pull them into the deepest darkness. The purple haired boy hardly reacted to the sense of danger. He brushed off any emotion and reached for his Pokeball.

The Pokeball burst out a bright light revealing a large Electivire. The electric Pokémon smirked and created a light screen to illuminate the area. The trio saw a dark figure standing alone in the darkness. He reached into his pockets to send out a Pokeball. Unlike other Pokeballs this one did not burst out light, but rather it spewed out darkness. Paul saw whatever left the capsule merge with the darkness. Paul looked over to his Electric Pokémon who; anticipating the battle was charging an electric current around its body. Paul raised his hand to connote to Electivire to stop creating a light screen. The Pokémon willingly agreed and stopped the barrier.

Paul stood in with his feet firmly planted in the ground and released a powerful dark orange aura. The burning energy left his body and illuminated the battle arena in one fell swoop. The aura ran around the tall yellow Pokémon immediately boosting its power. Dawn too felt the warmth of the aura as it coursed around her. She felt the temptation and lust of power caress her body. Paul saw a man in a black robe with the hood raised over his head, but of more importance was the Pokémon that he was to face. It was a large Gengar. Before he could judge anything more about the ghost Pokémon an attack was issued.

"Gengar use dark pulse" the man uttered.

The large purple Pokémon released several dark orbs from its body. Electivire with the new found power was able to dodge the attacks, though it seemed this was not the aim of the attack. The dark orbs pelted the area. The darkness from the attack melted into the ground and walls causing the light to be suffocated away. Paul knew that his aura could not illuminate the room again because of dark pulse keeping it dark. Paul had no choice but to fight on his opponent's terms. Something he thoroughly despised. It made him feel weak.

* * *

"Go Glaceon" Nick said.

The ball cracked open to reveal an ice Pokémon with ears and a tail as sharp as the very cold wind itself. The beautiful ice Pokémon stared at its opponents. Misty saw that this Pokémon was different from the one he used in the battle against Ash last time. Misty wondered why he would suddenly introduce a new Pokémon.

"Glaceon blizzard" Nick ordered.

Before Ash could respond with a command the ice Pokémon opened its mouth and released a powerful icy wind that quickly grew into a blizzard. It worked its way to Sceptile in no time and grasped it in a death lock. Any command from Ash would have been in vain; the blizzard attacked too quickly for his Pokémon to have done anything. In no time Ash's Pokémon slumped to the ground from the attack. It was made quicker from the fact that ice type moves are strong against grass Pokémon. When his Pokémon fainted, Ash felt a strong pain stab him in his heart. Normally Ash would be able to handle it after being used it to from so many battles of losing aura, but he had forgotten how strong the pain was.

"What, what is happening to me?" Ash asked painfully.

Misty raced over to Ash and helped him stable himself. She rubbed his back in comfort and whispered softly into his ears.

"It's ok Ash. When you battle with your Pokémon, your body has reached the point where it naturally uses aura to power your Pokémon. You see to give you a fighting chance against Team Rocket you must use your aura to be on level with them as they too use their aura. When you lose Pokémon you lose aura and experience pain from a loss of being. Now come on Ash you know you can beat him"

Ash looked over to the orange haired girl who smiled at him reassuringly. Ash felt an odd tingle inside him replace the pain. Despite the fact that she was only explaining a complex idea of why he was in pain he felt as if she was doing something more than that. It felt as if she was reaching out to him, but why would she? This was a question that perplexed him, that and what his relationship was with her when he had his memories. Ash stood up and returned his fainted grass Pokémon to its Pokeball. Ash reached for his final Pokeball and sent it out. The capsule opened to reveal a large, tubby Pokémon. 'Wow. He is my Pokémon?' thought Ash in awe. His awe at the Pokémon's impressive towering physique ended when the normal Pokémon comically yawned loudly and fell on its back.

"Ash, his name is Snorlax. He can-"

"Glaceon use blizzard" Nick ordered.

Before Misty could finish her sentence she was interrupted by Nick and his Pokémon's attack. The ice Pokémon released a chilling wind around the area to separate the two friends. Ash called out Misty's name, but it was in vain. The force of the blizzard was trapping them from seeing or hearing each other. Ash looked around and couldn't see a thing, aside from a large shadow. Ash was able to deduce, that the shadow was his lazy Pokémon. The fact that the Pokémon was lying peacefully made Ash think that the attack was not even hurting Snorlax.

'Wait, is the blizzard even hitting Snorlax? Is he using the attack to stop Misty from helping me? Why would he do that? Eventually he will have to stop, besides it's not like the attack will do anything permanent to help win the bat…Oh no' thought Ash with dread. The black haired boy ran through the blizzard. He felt the ice pierce him, but he kept going through. He outstretched his hands to find any sense of Misty in the blizzard. He didn't find her till he bumped into her. It was then that the blizzard ended and he saw her…frozen solid.

* * *

**Right sooooo sorry about this but philosophy is a demanding course, anyway I have given up something that broke my concentration a lot for Lent so I should be able to focus more on this :D. Anyway please rate and review. Oh and thanks to Thehitmen, Pokemaster101 and memmek10k for their kind reviews. Sorry if I missed anyone out.**


	7. Fire and ice

**Right here is the next chapter for you. I don't know exactly how long this story will be, maybe 20 chapters? Well I was way off the estimation with the first so just enjoy the ride.**

* * *

Ash stared in horror at the frozen image of Misty. She was in the same position that she was in when she tried to tell him about Snorlax's powers. The black haired boy felt a sting in his chest. Immediately he grabbed his torso at the source of the pain. He didn't know why but seeing this girl, who he barely knew, tore him apart. Ash frantically dug his nails against the ice to try and free her, but it was all in vain. Ash stared at the soft look in her eyes. He turned around to face Nick. His hands were clenched in fists of rage.

"Why did you do that to her?" Ash said with anger in his voice.

"To see if you could win a battle without 'her' giving you all the answers. Don't worry she will be fine, as long as you don't lose." Nick said bluntly.

Ash looked over to the girl who was encased in a block of ice. 'Don't worry. I'll help you out' thought Ash.

"Glaceon hail" Nick ordered.

Ash snapped his in direction of Nick, Ash looked over to his lazy who sat there. Ash opened his mouth, but found nothing come to form. 'Oh no. I can't remember any of his moves' thought Ash. He could only look on as the ice Pokémon released a cold chill from its body. As the temperature dropped the atmosphere froze causing hail shards to start hitting the area. Ash looked over to this blubbery Pokémon being hit. Ash was relieved to see the normal Pokémon scratch its belly as if the shards were nothing.

"Now use ice fang" Nick commanded.

The ice Pokémon leapt out of the cloud of hail and bit down on the fat Pokémon's arm. A grunt of pain left Snorlax's mouth. It weakly tried to shake off the fox Pokémon, but to no avail. The ice fox sent a chill through the blubber Pokémon's body through its fangs. Glaceon released its prey and leapt back into the icy hail. Ash looked at the hail to see any sight of the ice Pokémon; however the fierce hail had shrouded the area rendering Snorlax's vision futile. Ash heard a howl as the ice fox leapt out of the hail and tore its teeth into another part of Snorlax, delivering a sharp pain followed by a bitter numbness from the cold.

Ash looked over at Misty. She had helped when she didn't need to. She had given when it was not necessary. She had looked over him and yet Ash could not think why. 'How could such a kind person as her deserve such a cruel fate?' Ash thought weakly. He lost all concentration of the battle and found himself walking over to her. Although Snorlax was very much in the battle, its master had lost his will. Ash reached out and pressed his hand against hers. Only the ice separated the two. The black haired boy looked back to his Pokémon who was having his skin being torn by the merciless Pokémon. 'I've failed her. There' nothing I can do to stop Nick' thought Ash pathetically.

He rested his head against the block and muttered "What do I do now?"

Before Ash flashed the image of Snorlax suddenly standing up and charging at full pelt at an unknown opponent, Ash saw the words 'Giga Impact' flash up brightly, if only for a brief second. Ash knew what he had to do now to save Misty.

"Quick Snorlax use giga impact"

Snorlax was taken by surprise by the sudden rise in confidence from Ash, though he was not going to ignore the order. Glaceon was pulled off the chubby Pokémon's arm thanks to its new found strength. Snorlax then protruded its stomach out and swelled its body up. The short stubby began to run at an incredible speed causing it to charge like a steam train through the fierce hail. Ash watched intently as he heard a weak cry of pain. Ash let out a soft sigh of relief as the hail died down. He saw Snorlax smiling triumphantly at him. Ash also saw to his delight Glaceon unconscious. Although he did not like to see Pokémon in pain, he was happy that Misty would be safe. Well at least he hoped so.

* * *

"Electvire use light screen" ordered Paul.

The large electric Pokémon charged power to create a bright yellow screen to brighten the area. Although the light it created enough visibility to see each other, the trio were still blinded by the darkness. Paul waited for the robed man to make the first move. A risky strategy but Paul didn't have any other choice. Paul tried to hear out for any sort of command from his opponent along with Dawn. Paul heard a faint sound, it sounded like move he knew. Suddenly a large pair of eyes stared deeply at the trio. It was then that Paul knew what move was being used.

"Damn it, hypnosis. Quick close your eyes" Paul shouted.

The command alas was in vain. Gengar had already pulled Electivire and Dawn into its gaze, and they slowly lost their sense of control. Paul tried to shut his eyes, but the gaze pulled him in and he found himself staring into a dark abyss. The three fighters fell to the ground in a sudden slump. Paul slowly opened his eyes. He was met with darkness, then light. A sudden blinding light illuminated the area. Paul shut his eyes immediately from the sudden change in vision. Paul tried to bring his hands up to his eyes to cover them, but he couldn't.

* * *

Paul forced his eyes open and saw his arms chained. The metal links hooked into a pair of cuffs that were strapped onto his wrists. The chains were fixed firmly into the ground. Paul tried to break himself free but he was not strong enough.

"What the hell is going on" muttered Paul.

* * *

Dawn weakly opened her eyes. She felt her face resting against the ground; in response to waking up she raised her head and scanned the area around her. Dawn weakly sat up, she was put off by the complete darkness around her. It felt odd, the darkness did not feel that it was opposing itself upon her or even looming over her, yet she still had this sense of unease.

"Paul? Paul are you there?" Dawn asked tiredly.

Dawn was alone, without a friend or anyone to protect her. Dawn finally had complete freedom and autonomy, and it scared her. The black haired girl nervously stood up and moved around. She felt around the darkness to find anything solid. There was nothing, Dawn knew that the deeper she went into the darkness, the more alone she would feel. She slumped to her knees and softly cried all alone.

* * *

Ienzo stared at the three opponents who were incapacitated. 'This should be of some interest to see just how powerful that aura of his is'. Ienzo had ordered his Gengar to use nightmare on Electivire, but he has used his aura to strengthen the attack to also consume Dawn and Paul in the nightmare. It was planned to test Paul's strength to see if he could overcome his greatest fear. Dawn was put into the nightmare so she would not be an interference to Ienzo's cause. I wonder if Nick has achieved his goal, at removing Ash and Misty. 'Hmm unlikely, though I could care less, these two children seem to offer more promise' mused Ienzo.

* * *

Nick returned his Pokémon to the Pokeball. He looked at Ash for a while, before throwing a flash grenade which exploded right in front of Ash. Ash let out a cry of shock as his eyes burned from the sudden burst of light. Ash rubbed his eyes vigorously to try get over the sudden light. When his eyes finally opened he saw Nick had made his escape. Ash sighed, when a thought rushed into his head 'Misty' thought Ash.

He turned round and saw the girl trapped in the ice block. Thankfully the hail had stopped causing the ice to melt, but it wasn't defrosting quickly enough. Ash frantically pulled the Pokeballs off his belt and threw them out. They burst open revealing all of his Pokemon . Ash saw the injured Sceptile from earlier, a round rock Pokémon with a long nose, a crustacean Pokémon with pincers and a fearsome dragon with a fiery tail. Ash's eyes landed on the fire Pokémon and began to plead with it.

"Please, I'm begging you please help release Misty from the ice."

Charizard felt uncomfortable by this sudden attitude brought about by its master, but regardless the fire Pokémon released a soft jet of fire from its mouth and onto the ice block. Ash looked on hopefully as the ice began to melt. The frozen water dripped to the ground; weakening the separation between the black haired boy and the orange haired girl. When Charizard saw his job was done, he and the other Pokémon returned themselves to their capsules to give Ash some space. Ash instinctively ran forward to catch the freed girl from falling to the ground.

Ash knelt down and rested her on his knee and stroked her softly. The girl opened her eyes softly to find herself looking up at Ash. He smiled down at her and pulled her into a hug. Misty blushed lightly as she felt the warmth from Ash's body warm her cold body up. Misty sighed and leaned into Ash's embrace, wrapping her arms around him as she did.

"Thought I had lost you then" Ash muttered.

Misty closed her eyes and rested deeper into his chest. 'Poor Mist. Wait what? Why am I acting like this? I barely know the girl' Ash thought. He looked down and saw she was already too deep into the hug; it would be cruel to push her away. Ash sighed and held the cold girl tightly. 'I need to ask her about our past relationship' he thought.

* * *

Dawn could sense something watching her, she could not be sure. All she could be sure of was that the darkness was around her, engulfing her. Dawn was feeling a desire to be held, just to be touched. Her fear of being alone was bringing up deep feelings. Her easy attachment and liking to everyone made her dependent on interaction. Now without it Dawn was forced to go cold turkey. 'Please someone, anyone.' Dawn mentally begged. Dawn needed someone strong, someone who would never leave her and who could never leave her. She needed warmth.

* * *

Paul could feel the anger rise up inside of him. The idea that 'he' could be chained by some weakling. Paul refused, he would not allow himself to be forced to follow some else's rules. He was forced into this world and forced to face his fear of inferiority. He would never accept this. He would break his chains from pure hatred. Paul cried out on the top of his lungs as he pulled as hard as he could. The anger rose in his body to the point where he could not control it any longer.

Paul's arms jerked against the chains that were cuffed around his wrists. Paul would not allow himself to be held back anymore. With a shout of rage his aura reacted violently. The essence inside was naturally angry from Aeleus's aura and that fuelled from Paul's emotions made the power run raged. The aura burst out of his body; engulfing him in a burning orange flame. The chains were not affected by Paul's muscle. They were beyond his physical powers, but under his spiritual aura they were cracking. Paul tightened his eyes shut as he focused all his energy into the restraints.

The metal links that bound him down, glowed a bright orange. As the heat increased the shackles cracked under the pressure. As the chains weakened Paul could feel the darkness around him disappear. The burning fire illuminated the darkness around him and shattered the chains once bound on him.

* * *

Dawn lied on the cold hard dark ground. The black haired girl had lost all of her energy from constant crying. Dawn had her body lying on her side with blood shot eyes. She had the comfort of feeling something against her, if only it wasn't so hard and cold to her. 'Like Paul. My only comfort and I get treated coldly.' Dawn thought weakly. Dawn weakly raised her head to see the overwhelming darkness before her. She stared at the looming blackness. Not quite advancing, retreating upon her, but not quite retreating. Just there.

Dawn hated this apathy, the almost standstill of motion. Only nothing was there for her. Dawn rested her head down and closed her tired eyes weakly. Dawn tried to escape this nightmare through her thoughts. She tried to think of happy memories she had, but all that stayed in her head was the darkness. Dawn lied there as her thoughts were clouded with darkness. All of her memories faded away to nothingness.

It felt like an eternity as she just lied there on the ground. She was just existing. Dawn lied there with her darkness thoughts, until she saw a spark. A bright spark in her head, it grew brighter and brighter. Burning with a passion. The flame woke her from her lethargy and rejuvenated her. Dawn opened her eyes and raised her head slowly. As she focused in on the darkness, she noticed something was different. As she looked on she saw the spark glimmering in the distance. The spark suddenly burst into wildfire.

The sudden fire swept around the area; engulfing it. Dawn could see the flames, but she did not fear them. They enticed her and she welcomed this feeling. It excited her; it released her from this dull and dark world. The flames grew closer, heating her body. The flames grew brightly until they blinded Dawn.

* * *

Dawn slowly opened her eyes to see she was back in the real world and out of the nightmare. She felt a strong burning sensation next to her. She turned her head to slightly to see Paul standing tall and strong. His body was engulfed in a burning orange and black flame. All the darkness had been swept away and the area was burning with Paul's hatred. Ienzo was standing still, amazed at the raw power that Paul had encased inside him. 'Aeleus merely unlocked this boy's true potential. He has some power to him. If only it was directed to some use, other than petty vengeance.' Ienzo mused. The raging flames around Paul's body connected with Electivires body.

"Now end them with Thunder" Paul said darkly.

The overwhelming burning aura mixed with the Thunder from Electivire's body. The twin powers formed to create an attack that would paralysis any feeling and burn the target into nothingness. The Thunder raged out of the Pokémon and struck the defenceless Gengar. With no darkness there was nowhere to hide. The electrical attack struck with such a force that even a ground Pokémon would faint from the sheer force. The thousand force of the attack sapped any strength in the ghost Pokémon's body.

Ienzo was losing one Pokémon, but from the power of Paul's aura it felt like he had lost three Pokémon. The sudden pain took Ienzo by surprise and made him to fall to his knee. Paul smirked in delight as he saw his opponent fall. Ienzo breathed heavily and reached for his Pokeball. The long haired man returned his Pokémon. He eyed the powerful man ahead of him, before creating a small dark source around him to allow ease of escape. Paul calmed his aura down and returned his Pokémon.

Dawn looked up at Paul with fear and interest, like a moth to a flame. Paul turned his head to look at the sitting girl. Dawn turned her head away, worried of any consequences. She felt Paul's presence near her, which was more than enough to make her look his way. She looked in surprise to see the usual bitter man had his hand out reached to her. Dawn hesitantly took his hand and was pulled to her feet. Paul turned around and walked off. His companion following suit.

* * *

**Right so sorry about the delay, now that I'm out of uni and in ASTalker's dark basement with only a computer :p. So thanks to memmek10k and ASTalker for their reviews. Please tell me what you thought :D.**


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